Vegetarian Health

[Legerity]

I don't want to cause a big debate about vegetarianism, but it's just not true that eating such a diet will guarantee prevention of diseases like diabetes. Also, some cholesterol in the diet is not a bad thing. The body needs cholesterol for many processes. It's not as simple as more cholesterol in the diet = more cholesterol clogging up the arteries.

A nutritious vegetarian diet can be good for some people. One filled with junk food will not. The determining factor is not the presence or absence of animal foods but the quality of the overall diet.

One of the major problems with eating beef now is the food that cows are fed and the way that they are raised. Stuffing them with grain throws off the ratio of omega6 to omega3 fats, making them contain much more omega 6 than they otherwise would. Our diets are already way too high in omega 6 fats and this imbalance is implicated in many health issues. Cows raised on their natural diet have a much higher omega 3 content.

Deciding not to eat meat for ethical reasons is another issue, and nobody can say that the way animals are raised in typical farms is at all humane. But having tried different diets I know for myself that I feel better including animal products so I don't feel that it is fair to assume that vegetarianism is necessarily the healthiest choice for all. And it is certainly possible to buy from farmer's markets or health stores where the meat comes from animals that are treated much better.

Just saying. Whatever works for each person should be respected. There are many cultures that include meat in their diet and have much better health than North Americans.

 

[allium]

google "benefits of vegetarianism" there are literally THOUSANDS.

Alright, I googled "lower cholesterol levels", "lower BMI" , "lower blood presure" and other. I don't care about cholesterol. And the last two "benefits" I mentioned aren't beneifts at all. I already have low BMI and somewhat low blood presure. Lowering them even more? No, thanks.

You guys know that everything has two sides, so maybe let's speak about dangers of vegetarianism? What are most common dangers? Who should NOT turn vegetarian?

Mhmmmm, would you vegetarians or vegans eat meat if it was grown in a lab so you didnt have to kill or use animals?

I always wonder about the same thing! And another thing, would people eat other people meat if it is grown in laboratory?

 

[Dr Farnsworth]

I love how this threads going :]

I would eat meat grown in a lab because i choose to not eat meat for ethical reasons.

Yes i would agree you can live just as long and eat meat however the reason we vegetarians statistically live longer is when i go a restaurant and you get a steak i get a salad because thats one of my only choices. This pressures me to eat more vegetables then i would have (true for me and i ate a descent amount before). And because we are eating more vegetables we ingest more good vitamins and minerals and flavanoids and a host of different chemicals that protect from cancer to cholesterol.

Allium i would say that we shouldnt eat people meat because i believe it has prions in it and it causes you to shake and develop health problems.
Cannibalism is bad mkay.

Another reason why the meat industry is messed up is they feed cows corn not grass. This changes the acid levels in their stomach and allows for the growth of Ecoli. This is why you see many outbreaks in the US in the last 10 or 15 years.

 

[allium]

^ So the only reason why you wouldn't eat people meat is possible health problem?
I would eat people meat occasionally, I am pretty sure there would be special restaraunts, where meat would be served in some nice way, like canapé for example. Counter-culture aesthetics, mmm.

Interesting article about vegeterianism and longevity.

Smith's analysis of total mortality rates as a function of the frequencies of consuming cheese, meat, milk, eggs and fat attached to meat found that the total death rate decreased as the frequencies of consuming cheese, eggs, meat and milk increased.

Assumingly that meat is grown correctly(with proper care and feed), and vegetables are grown correctly(without pesticides and other toxins) too, I consider "meat-eating" a more healthy lifestyle. Why? Because most hominidaes are omnivores, and they eat animals at times, because humans was evolved to eat meat. Comparing to plants, Animal flesh contains more balanced set of different proteins, different fats and carbohydrates, so it is much easier to get all necessary stuff for your body.

Call this double-facedness, but I like animals, and I like eating animals.

 

[Dr Farnsworth]

I like animals and i like eating meat but i dont like eating animals.

And yes i suppose if people meat was grown in a lab and was processed to be non harmful (into soylent green ) then i would try it.

 

[Kenickie]

A nutritious vegetarian diet can be good for some people. One filled with junk food will not. The determining factor is not the presence or absence of animal foods but the quality of the overall diet.

a nutritious diet is good for everyone, that's the definition of nutritious.

i refuse to get into another 'debate' about how some people just 'can't' be vegetarian for some reason or another, because seriously, all that shit is bollocks. there isn't anything that comes from meat, or fish, or chicken, or pork, or whatever, that you cannot get from vegetables or other vegetarian sources. i guess mad cow disease, if you're into that. or all those cool parasites you can get from fish. you CAN be vegetarian, you just choose not too. for whatever reason, you choose not to. But don't say you 'can't'.

 

[Legerity]

a nutritious diet is good for everyone, that's the definition of nutritious.

i refuse to get into another 'debate' about how some people just 'can't' be vegetarian for some reason or another, because seriously, all that shit is bollocks. there isn't anything that comes from meat, or fish, or chicken, or pork, or whatever, that you cannot get from vegetables or other vegetarian sources. i guess mad cow disease, if you're into that. or all those cool parasites you can get from fish. you CAN be vegetarian, you just choose not too. for whatever reason, you choose not to. But don't say you 'can't'.

I'm not saying that I can't be a vegetarian. I choose not to because I've tried it more than once and feel better with meat in my diet.

What I sometimes get impatient with is that a vegetarian diet is often made out to be inherently healthier and a cure-all to prevent any disease. My point is that not everybody has the same body and some do better on one type of diet rather than another.

I'm not trying to convince anybody to change what they eat, do what works for you.

 

[addictivepersona]

a nutritious diet is good for everyone, that's the definition of nutritious.

i refuse to get into another 'debate' about how some people just 'can't' be vegetarian for some reason or another, because seriously, all that shit is bollocks. there isn't anything that comes from meat, or fish, or chicken, or pork, or whatever, that you cannot get from vegetables or other vegetarian sources. i guess mad cow disease, if you're into that. or all those cool parasites you can get from fish. you CAN be vegetarian, you just choose not too. for whatever reason, you choose not to. But don't say you 'can't'.

Well spoken. ...Written.

 

[allium]

Do you notice that vegetarians are more angry than meat-eaters? Is it only anecdotal observation?

^^^ Maybe you can get your anything from vegetables, but set of nutritients you'll get will be less balanced.
Let's assume you need 100 g of 3 different nutrients daily, 10 g of A, 30 g of B, and 60 g of C. Meat contains much more balanced set of this nutrients, let's say: 15 g of A, 25 g of B and 60 g of C. You eat a steak, and it is done.

Vegetables contains less balanced set, let's say: 50 g of A, 35 g of B, and 15 g of C. So you have to eat at least 400 g of vegetables to get normal amount of your C. But in addition you'll get a lot of A&B.
It is pure speculation, because I am too lazy to google articles to back this idea.

In reality you need thousands of different nutrients, in totally different amounts - from micrograms to hundreds of grams, and I am pretty sure it is very difficult to maintain adequate intake of these compounds eating only vegetables(as well as eating only meat).

---
The ultimate(though offtopic) question: what's wrong with eating animals?

 

[belarki]

Do you notice that vegetarians are more angry than meat-eaters? Is it only anecdotal observation?

^^^ Maybe you can get your anything from vegetables, but set of nutritients you'll get will be less balanced.
Let's assume you need 100 g of 3 different nutrients daily, 10 g of A, 30 g of B, and 60 g of C. Meat contains much more balanced set of this nutrients, let's say: 15 g of A, 25 g of B and 60 g of C. You eat a steak, and it is done.

Vegetables contains less balanced set, let's say: 50 g of A, 35 g of B, and 15 g of C. So you have to eat at least 400 g of vegetables to get normal amount of your C. But in addition you'll get a lot of A&B.
It is pure speculation, because I am too lazy to google articles to back this idea.

In reality you need thousands of different nutrients, in totally different amounts - from micrograms to hundreds of grams, and I am pretty sure it is very difficult to maintain adequate intake of these compounds eating only vegetables(as well as eating only meat).

---
The ultimate(though offtopic) question: what's wrong with eating animals?

I think most vegetarians would look at that question more as what's right about eating animals? Just because they may be the most convenient source of a range of nutrients and protein doesn't necessarily make them the best source. Honestly I doubt many people switch to a vegetarian diet thinking it'll be an easy path to better nutrition.